Okanagan winery banned from hiring foreign workers after breaching abuse rules

OLIVER, B.C. — A winery in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley has been permanently banned by the federal government from hiring foreign workers and fined $118,000 for breaking program rules.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says in a Dec. 16 ruling that Toor Vineyards is banned for not putting in enough effort to protect workers from physical, sexual, psychological or financial abuse, or from reprisal.

It also says Toor Vineyards failed to provide requested documents, and that pay and working conditions didn’t live up to what was promised to foreign workers.

Among hundreds of employers penalized for foreign-worker breaches listed on a ministry database, Toor Vineyards is one of only two hit with a permanent hiring ban.

Toor Vineyards shares the same address as the award-winning Desert Hills Estate Winery, whose president Randhir Toor stepped down about a year ago.

In 2023, Desert Hills was fined $16,000 for breaching foreign worker rules, while in 2022, Toor Vineyards was convicted of seven charges of counselling or attempting to counsel misrepresentation in violation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

The Canadian Press has reached out to the Desert Hills Estate Winery for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2025.

The Canadian Press